


At the Video Store

by der_tanzer



Category: Riptide (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-20
Updated: 2010-05-20
Packaged: 2017-10-09 14:52:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/88601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/der_tanzer/pseuds/der_tanzer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The boys are looking for something to watch on Friday night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	At the Video Store

**Author's Note:**

> Blame this one on Catyah, Oddmonster, and Doug Coupland. That's a long story, but this one is very short.  
> Beta by Catyah, with love.

"Come on, Boz, how long's this gonna take?" Cody whined. It was Friday evening and he and Nick had promised to stay up and watch a movie with him, to make up for all the alone time they'd been having lately. But Murray was being extremely picky about choosing a video and it was seriously eating into the alone time they'd wanted to fit in tonight.

"Just a minute, guys. They don't have anything good. All the movies I wanted to see are out."

"Well, just pick something, Murray. It's getting late," Nick said, just barely managing not to whine himself.

"Oh? Do you guys have plans?" he asked, his voice expressing the perfect blend of curiosity and hurt to keep them from saying _yes_ flat out. They exchanged a look and Nick sighed.

"No," Cody said. "Of course not. It's just—we've had kind of a long day and—"

"And this place is giving me the creeps," Nick said flatly. "Bunch of lonely women all fighting over the last copy of _Terms of Endearment_, and moronic high school kids trying to rent _Porkys_."

"Do you want to wait in the car, Nick?"

"No, Cody, I want to go home." His eyes said that wasn't all he wanted and Cody sympathized, even if Murray did not. But it wasn't Murray's fault. They shouldn't have promised if they weren't going to do it, and knowing that kept them from saying more.

"All right, just a minute. Let me ask the clerk and see if something's been returned," Murray said, turning around and heading for the counter. His friends followed, used to having to back him up when he got into it with random store employees. But this one was fairly non-threatening.

Tall and skinny, the clerk had a look of lingering adolescence about him, as though he were really seventeen, even though his body looked closer to twenty-five. Maybe it was because video store clerks _should_ be seventeen. There was just something odd about grown men rewinding tapes for a living. But this guy, Ryan, according to his name tag, had the lightly scarred face of a man who'd had severe acne as a teenager, before ultimately putting it behind him four or five years ago. He also wore taped glasses with the unselfconscious nature of one who hasn't been teased about them for a while. At least not be anyone he respected, or feared.

He didn't look up as the three men approached the counter, which was enough right there to tell them he was new. Usually guys like that were on Murray from the moment he walked through the door, but there was no recognition here.

"Um, excuse me," Murray said politely. "Could you help me, please?"

"Just a second," Ryan said, typing furiously on the countertop computer. "One second… Okay, how can I—" He looked up and recognition dawned, slow and clear in his bright green eyes. "You're Murray Bozinsky. I—I'm so sorry, Mur—Mister—_Doctor_ Bozinsky. What can I do for you?"

He had that expression of blatant hero worship that Nick and Cody had seen too many times before. Not only were they not going to get a movie, there was a good chance they wouldn't be going home at all.

Murray blushed and ducked his head in that shy way that was also a form of modest preening. He put one hand on the counter and no one missed how Ryan's eyes dropped to follow the gesture.

"Please, call me Murray. I was just wondering if you had _Plan 9 From Outer Space_. I didn't see it on the shelves and I really had my heart set on seeing it tonight."

"Oh. Well, it's here, but it's—it's sort of—reserved."

"Mmm. That's too bad. I've been looking forward to it all week," he said, giving Ryan the full benefit of his soft, dark eyes. "Say, how long have you been working here? We come in almost every week and I've never seen you before."

"I just started a couple days ago. My uncle's the owner and I just got out of school, so I'm doing this until I get a job."

"Really? What's your field? Did you study films, by any chance?"

"No, programming. I got my Masters, but I haven't been able to find work yet. My stuff was a little too out there for most of the companies who were hiring right out of school."

"Too out there? In computers that's really saying something. I'd love to hear more about it. Unfortunately, we have to go to the video store across town and see if they have the movie there."

Indecision flickered across his face and then Ryan spoke, flushing darkly and hardly meeting Murray's eyes.

"Actually, the movie—it's not exactly reserved. I was going to watch it myself. We're not really supposed to do that, set them aside before closing, but it's one of those that no one ever asks for and I thought I'd get away with it."

"Well, in that case, you should take it," Murray said generously. "I was afraid it was going to someone who wouldn't appreciate it as much as I would."

Ryan flushed darker and cleared his throat.

"Well, I'm getting off in a few minutes—my uncle doesn't quite trust me to close up yet—and you could, that is to say, we could always watch it together. My roommate went home for the weekend so it wouldn't bother anyone." For the first time, he shifted his gaze to include Nick and Cody, who had stopped looking bored and were beginning to be amused. "I—I mean all of you, of course."

"Oh, that's very nice of you," Murray said, placing his other hand on the counter and leaning in slightly. "Maybe afterwards, you could tell me about your programming work. Nick and Cody wouldn't enjoy that very much, but they have other things to do. Don't you, guys?" he added, without turning around or even breaking eye contact.

"That's right," Nick grinned, suddenly relieved of all his problems at once. "You have a good time, buddy. We'll see you tomorrow. Ryan, nice meeting you."

"Right," Cody nodded. "Murray, just give us a call if you need a ride or anything." He looked like he might want to say something else, but Nick was pulling him toward the door and he gave it up.

"Nice friends," Ryan said sincerely.

"They're the best. So, where did you go to school?" he asked as Ryan put on his jacket and pulled the tape out from under the counter.

"Cal-Tech. I tried to get into one of your seminars last year but it filled up too fast."

"That's a shame. But you've got my undivided attention now. Is there something you want to know?"

There was, but it wasn't about computers, and while Murray ended up staying the night in his geek-heaven apartment, they never did get around to watching the movie.


End file.
